


In The Stars

by NalgeneWhore



Series: Elorcan One Shots [73]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Angst, F/M, just pure angst, no rhyme or reason to it, u think it gets better and it doesn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:07:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23291437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NalgeneWhore/pseuds/NalgeneWhore
Summary: i am sorry for this my darlings
Relationships: Elide Lochan/Lorcan Salvaterre
Series: Elorcan One Shots [73]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636468
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	In The Stars

“Oh, my gods, Ellie,” gushed Aelin as she did the zipper of Elide’s dress, “you look so beautiful, my love.” Elide grinned at her maid of honour through the mirror and smiled at the tears that brimmed in Aelin’s eyes. The golden-haired woman shook her head, “I’m not crying, I’m not.”

“I know you’re not,” replied Elide, passing her sister a tissue, “it’s allergy season anyway, all the flowers and pollen.”

Nodding, Aelin carefully dried her tears, not wanting to mess up her makeup, “Yeah, who even gets married in the spring?”

“Heathens,” Elide said, looking at Lysandra when she approached, Elide’s phone in her hand. “What is it, Lys?”

Her plump lips curled into a smile, “Your betrothed called and left a message.” Butterflies swarmed in Elide’s stomach, ones with great big wings; she didn’t know how, with just the thought of him, he managed to make her feel like it was their first date. “Go on, we can work around you,” Lysandra said, indicating Elide’s veil and hair.

Elide smiled and took the phone, holding the device to her ear after clicking on the voicemail. She bit her cheek to calm the smile that threatened to overtake everything. After the automated message played, his voice filled her ear, “Hey, baby, it’s me. I want you to know that I will be at the altar, I’m-“ he cut himself off with a chuckle and Elide could nearly see him running his hand through his hair, “I’m just running a bit behind, but I’ll be there, I promise. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you soon and I love you more than words can say.”

There was a knock at the door and Aelin nodded reassuringly at Elide, “I’ll get it, just stay here with Lys.” Aelin waltzed to the door and cracked it open, poking her head out and then opening it further, revealing to everyone else Rowan and Gavriel, looking somber where they stood.

The three of them began to talk and Elide couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it didn’t look good. Maybe it was about Lorcan being late so she turned to Lysandra, “Darling, can you tell them there’s nothing to worry about? In the voicemail, he-“ her throat tightened and something oily coiled in her gut, “he said he was running late, but he’ll be here, can you tell them that?”

Lysandra nodded, “Of course, Ellie Belly, it’s ok, he’s coming.” She patted the veil in place and walked over to the door, adopting the hushed tone of the others.

It didn’t feel right and Elide stared at herself in the mirror, running her hands over the lace details of her bodice that crept onto her skirt. Her eyes fell to her shoes, resting in the box they came in, not ever worn. She’d worn the sample size in the store and they’d ordered in a pair for her. A sound from the door had her looking over at Aelin, who was staring at her with the most heartbroken expression she’d ever seen on her sister’s face.

Elide huffed a laugh and gathered her gossamer skirts in her hands, stepping off the mini catwalk-like set up and walked over to them, “Guys, it’s ok, Lorcan told me he was running late, he’ll be here…” she trailed off when Rowan slowly shook his head, anguish clear in his eyes. “What?”

“Ellie Belly, it might be best if you’re sitting down for this… we need to tell you something,” Gavriel began, his tawny eyes warm and kind.

She shook her head and shied away from the hand he reached out to her, “It’s really fine, I don’t know why you are all being so weird, he told me, he left a voicemail.” When their faces only grew more devastated, she turned to Aelin, tears threatening to spill from her electric eyes. Elide felt her throat close up again, “Ae, wh-what is it? Can somebody tell me what happened?”

Despite, maybe, her better judgement, Aelin glanced at Lysandra and back to Elide, the two girls taking one of Elide’s hands in theirs, “Baby girl, there was-“

“Fireheart,” said Rowan, shaking his head but Aelin cut him a hard look and he backed down, not meeting Elide’s eyes. Nobody did, except for Aelin. Why wasn’t anyone looking at her?

Aelin turned back to Elide, “He isn’t coming, baby.”

“No, I know he’s not here yet, but he will be, remember the message?” She looked to her phone, “He left a message, he said he was running late but he’d be here, he promised.” Aelin just slowly shook her head. “But he promised.” 

“There was an accident, Lor, he was driving and—” Elide felt her heart drop and didn’t bother listening to the rest. Wrenching her hands from her sisters’, she shoved through Rowan and Gavriel, the two men falling out of her path easily as she tore through the hallway to the nearest door.

This couldn’t be happening, it had to be some stupid, really really stupid, elaborate joke Lorcan had planned, one that she would yell at him for before hugging him really tightly and telling him the next time he did that, she’d kick his ass for scaring her like that.

Outside was overcast and the clouds threatened rain. All her life, she had wanted a warm, breezy spring day, but as long as they were getting married, she didn’t care. The asphalt was cold and rough against her bare feet and she nearly tripped over her skirts. She gathered them in her arms and sprinted as fast as she could to the front of the manor, coming close to running over a few guests that milled about and stared in shock at the apparent runaway bride.

An ambulance sped past her and she knew, without a doubt, where it was going. Elide realized she had started crying at some point and ran faster, feeling a twinge in her ankle, something from an old injury, but the discomfort was secondary. She chased after the ambulance, its sirens on and lights blazing as it drove down the road, getting closer and closer to the lovely little house she and Lorcan owned.

She saw it, a block or two down, a collection of ambulances and fire engines all parked together, blocking the road.

It could’ve been an eternity or a single second, Elide couldn’t tell, before she was there, her eyes falling on the sight of their truck crushed into a building, pinned to the brick wall by another car that had crashed right into the driver’s side. She felt her heart crack and shatter, so painfully that she stumbled back a step and pressed a hand to her chest, her hand digging into the lace and bead details of her sweetheart neckline. Shaking her head, Elide was frozen in place, watching as the firefighters pried a door open and carried out a frail-looking woman, blood streaming down from her head.

Tears were streaming down her face and finally someone noticed her, jogging over and stepping in her way, blocking her from seeing what had happened. “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to step away-“

“That’s my truck, he’s, we’re getting married today,” she whispered and the man looked down at her white dress and veil. Her dress was ripped and the hems dragged over the dirty ground, wrecking her pristine skirts. It didn’t matter, this day was already wrecked and ruined. Her heart thundered painfully and she wanted it to stop, it hurt too much. “We’re getting married today.” 

The sounds of feet on pavement caught up with her and she turned, looking at her family sprinting down the road to her, expertly avoiding anything that came in their way. 

“Ma’am, I think it might be best if you go with someone, is there anyone we can call for you?” 

Lorcan. They could call Lorcan. But Elide couldn’t say that and so she shook her head. No, there was nobody anymore.

His eyes were full of pity and they flicked above her head just as someone wrapped their arms around her waist, hugging her to a broad chest. Elide turned, it felt so much like his but that head of shocking silver hair wasn’t Lorcan and she pushed Rowan back, pushed him away away away, wrapping her arms around herself as she sunk to the ground, screaming. 

Her throat was on fire, burning as violent sobs ripped from her. There came a loud sound, explosive, and when she looked up, she saw flames engulfing the cars, hungry fire burning and burning, forcing the firefighters to back away, but they dragged a body, one she knew better than she knew herself. 

Managing to stand up, Elide stumbled forward a step and then another, taking another and another, shoving away the hands that grabbed at her. When they started CPR, she let out a sob, the sound of his ribs cracking under the force of chest compressions somehow the loudest of them all. In her heart of hearts, she knew it wouldn’t work because he was gone and it was all for naught. Absolutely nothing would bring him back. “Stop, don’t- don’t do that, you’re hurting him,” she screamed, fighting when Rowan grabbed her and pulled her to him, restraining her movements. “Ro, he’s gone, they’re hurting him, make them stop!” 

It seemed like they had come to the same conclusion and sat back on their heels, a defeated slump to their shoulders. They covered him with a sheet, a finality to the movement. Lorcan was gone gone gone. Never to come back again. Never to be a husband, never to call her wife, never to hold their child in his arms, never kiss her one last time before they gently faded - together, always together - surrounded by family. 

But instead, he’d been alone. Trapped as he waited for his dark god to take him away from her. Scared, terrified as it settled in that this wasn’t something he’d escape. If only he’d been on time… maybe then this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe he’d be alive and maybe she wouldn’t feel like this, like someone had ripped her heart clean out her chest and squeezed it until it finally stopped beating. 

The man that had approached her was talking to one of the firefighters that had taken him from the truck and he pointed to her. Slowly, Elide managed to stand, not bothering to push Aelin and Lysandra away when they stepped up next to her and sandwiched her between them, unwavering as she leaned against them. 

The firefighter walked up to her, sorrow in his face, “Miss, are you Elide Lochan?” 

Elide nodded, not trusting herself to speak as the man let out a strained breath. 

“Before, um, before we got him out, he asked us to pass you a message, would you mind if I told you what he said?” 

“Please.” 

He nodded, more to himself than anyone else and found somewhere else to look as he said, “He asked us to tell you that he has always and will always love you and that,” he cleared his throat, sniffing and finally looking at her, “and that he was going to be fine and that one day, he’d see you again in the stars. I’m sorry we couldn’t save him, Ms. Lochan.” 

Elide smiled a sad and tired smile, “Thank you anyways.” The man smiled back at her and then walked away, his shoulders curving inwards. Her hands fell to her stomach, where a new life had begun, the secret she’d been carrying for just two short weeks. Even Lorcan hadn’t known. Elide wanted it to be a surprise, a little wedding gift just for him. 

Someone gently roused her from her slumber and Elide lifted her hand to her cheek, feeling her tears. She turned to whoever it had been, finding the doctor standing by her side. “Is something wrong?” Elide asked, turning to look at the little bundle sleeping in the bassinet beside her hospital bed. She was so so little, her skin a warm brown, just a few shades lighter than her father’s, and so soft. 

Yrene smiled reassuringly, “Oh, Stella is just fine, a very strong baby. We just need a last name for her.” The door to Elide’s hospital room opened and in walked Aelin, looking tired after the birth. “You didn’t tell the nurse.” 

At the sight of Elide’s doctor, her brow furrowed and she walked to Elide’s side, holding her hand. If nine months ago Aelin had been protective of Elide, there were no words for what she was like now. Everything had changed that grey and cold day, in so many different ways. “Is something wrong, Dr. Towers?” 

Yrene laughed that tinkling laugh of hers, “Everything is ok, we just need a last name for the babe.” 

As if on cue, Stella Luna squirmed and began to cry. Elide sat up, still sore from the birth after the epidural wore off, and gently picked her baby, cradling her in close and softly shushing her. She ran a finger over the curve of Stella Luna’s pink cheek, marvelling at how soft and smooth the skin was. 

“Elide?” Aelin prompted, indicating Yrene where she was waiting patiently with a fond smile and a clipboard. 

She didn’t have to think, leaning down and pressed her lips to her daughter’s forehead, inhaling that intoxicating scent all babies had. “Salvaterre. Stella Luna Salvaterre.” Stella Luna let out a soft cooing noise and nestled closer to her mother. 

Yrene nodded and smiled, if a bit sadly, writing it down on a slip of paper, one of the many forms she’d had to fill out during her stay. “Ok, well, I’ll register this and you rest, alright? You deserve it.” With a little wave, Yrene was gone and then it was just Aelin and Elide, both of them unable to take their eyes off of Stella Luna. 

The bed dipped as Aelin sat, pulling a McDonald’s bag out from her hoodie that she’d snuck in for Elide and putting down on her bedside table. Elide bounced the bundle, whispering to Aelin, “I just can’t stop looking at her.”

Aelin grinned warmly and gently booped her finger over Stella Luna’s button nose. She saw the tear tracks on Elide’s face and sucked in a sharp breath, “What happened?” 

Elide shook her head, nodding down to the sleeping baby she was rocking, “Just a dream, hon. Nothing to worry about, I promise.” 

“Ok,” said Aelin, worry still coating her voice. “Are you alright, El?” 

Huffing a laugh, Elide looked up at her sister, “Not in the slightest, but… I will be.” She dropped her eyes to Stella Luna once more, unable to tear her gaze away, “We’ll be just fine. I’ll see him again.” 

The stars outside her window were calling to her and she looked to them, smiling up at the twinkling lights. _I’ll see you again one day, in the stars._

**Author's Note:**

> i am sorry for this my darlings


End file.
